Ketchup Chicken

[Discovered through the NYT cooking blog]

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch, bite-size pieces

1/2 cup flour

5 Tbs canola oil

5 cloves garlic, mined or 2 Tbs minced garlic

1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper, depending on the heat you want

1 cup ketchup

2-3 cups uncooked white rice

water to cook rice according to package directions

Start cooking rice according to package directions. Heat 3 Tbs of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the chicken in the flour in a big bowl. Arrange the chicken pieces evenly in the skillet to cook. As they start cooking, salt and pepper liberally. As they start to brown, turn over to cook through. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Add the remaining 2 Tbs oil to the skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil ripples, add the minced garlic and cayenne pepper, and stir for 1 1/2 minutes until garlic is browned and the cayenne darkens. Add the ketchup to the oil/garlic/pepper mixture. Saute the ketchup mixture, stirring thoroughly, for 3-4 minutes until the ketchup gets thicker and darker in color. Add chicken back to skillet and stir to coat the chicken in the sauce. Serve over cooked white rice.

The cayenne pepper is a key ingredient. Sauteing it in the oil before you add the ketchup reduces the intensity of the spiciness and deepens the flavor. That sauteed cayenne flavor is essential to the sauce, making it taste like a gourmet sauce rather than like ketchup. It seems ghetto, but it's highly delicious.